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Tag Archive for Unite

Today begins the 9th annual ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ in the UK and soon in other countries. The main event in London is sponsored by a number of pro-Palestinian student groups but not, apparently, any union. A quick search of British trade…

According to the Morning Star, seven trade union leaders have issued a call on Britain’s supermarkets to cease purchasing products from company’s which benefit from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. They write: “We note that the Co-operative supermarket pledged…

Several weeks ago we reported that a pro-Israel lobbying group in the UK had launched an appeal to supporters to write to Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, the country’s largest trade union, to protest the union’s one-sided view…

We Believe in Israel is a grassroots network in the U.K. launched in 2011 following a mass meeting in London attended by over 1,500 participants and supported by 26 community organisations. Though considered to be “pro-Israel”, the group explicitly supports…

On Tuesday this week, a fringe meeting called by Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) and TULIP was held in Brighton at the hotel next door to the conference centre where Unite the union was holding its annual event. Why…

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has finally published the statement of a delegation of a half dozen British trade union leaders representing five trade unions (Unite, RMT, TSSA, PCS, and Napo). The trade unionists involved were: Gerry Doherty – General Secretary…

According to this report in the Jewish Chronicle, Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, has voted to boycott Israel. Support for the boycott resolution was unanimous. Stephen Scott of Trade Union Friends of Israel is quoted as saying “All round, you…

The Israeli trade union federation, the Histadrut, believes many fly-by-night cleaning and security companies that violate labour laws and put draconian clauses into their job contracts – such as docking employees for equipment they break accidentally – will soon be…

If you visit the website of Britain’s largest trade union, Unite, you’ll find a list of campaigns the union supports. Those campaigns are almost always the kinds of things you’d expect the giant manufacturing trade union to support, such as…

Latest news

A new global movement is born

Trade union leaders from three continents have announced the launch of a new global movement "to challenge the apologists for Hamas and Hizbollah in the labour movement" and to fight for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The movement is called TULIP - Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine. [Read more]

Why not boycott?

1. Because boycotts are counter-productive and strengthen rejectionists and extremists on both sides.

2. Because boycotts are a blunt instrument and a form of collective punishment.

3. Because the analogy to South Africa is completely false - Israel is not an apartheid state.

4. Because what's needed is practical support for efforts to build bridges between Israeli and Palestinian workers and their unions.